Splurge Day

I gave in. Realizing I'd like to stay another year in China, today I bought a keyboard. It wasn't expensive by American standards, but it has 61 keys, and was the closest to feeling like a real piano that I possibly could. I spent about 45 minutes playing it after setting it up. I'm glad I bought it; somehow, the presence of a musical instrument reminds me that all is right with the world. 

I've continued singing while here, but it's hard without an instrument, and now I can continue learning songs vocally. I might try to learn a new song a week! Of course, when I get back to studying under a private tutor, there will be a lot of work to polish the songs. I can only do so much by myself. 

With that, there's also piano I could be teaching myself, but I know I like messing around a lot. And the keyboard doesn't have an adjustable stand or table- it's sitting on a coffee table, and I have to bend over in an awkward angle to play. Still, there will be a lot more music now, hopefully. And composition. 

What I have found is that I have finally have hit that low D I wanted to hit (below middle C), and my high range feels largely unaffected. However, when I set up the keyboard it was 10pm, and since Ann can hear me when I do any sort of serious practice or singing, I didn't really try to push myself either. 

I am excited. I am excited that I still feel active in music. Even if it doesn't seem very active, I'm still studying, and I still know my way around a keyboard. One day I will have a piano. Until then, the keyboard will have to do. 

Aside from the music, today I also had a small meeting with Ben and Ann. I'm not teaching their courses, and in fact they are teaching the same courses, but we will all teach the same students. So I have all of their students...plus my audio-visual class. (I will have taught the most students this year, with all the different classes!) We talked a little, and I got important dates like when a national test will be (which is useful in making sure my assignments are well before or after that). The best part was the spaghetti Ben cooked for us. So Ann and I did the dishes in order to repay him. 

Today was a busy day. I've been studying Chinese almost an hour or two every day, so I feel very accomplished. Even when I realize there's still much more I want/need to be doing. Ah well.